SAN ANTONIO — A proposal under consideration by the Luminaria board that would dramatically alter the annual downtown arts celebration is drawing enthusiastic responses from some quarters and trepidation from others.

The five-year plan, which the board still is weighing, was drawn up by a New York consulting firm.

Among other things, it recommends eventually expanding the festival to 10 days; moving it from March to November; and including more national and international artists.

“I'm impressed with the work behind the recommendations and am looking forward to huddling up with the board to ensure that we maximize Luminaria's role as a showcase for artistic talent for many years to come,” Castro said in a statement released by his office.

The city is a major stakeholder in the event, providing some funding and helping with logistics.

The mayor has a representative on the board, and Felix Padrón, director of the city's Department for Culture and Creative Development, also sits on it.

The city set the event in motion at the behest of then-Mayor Phil Hardberger, who's an honorary member of the board.

Hardberger said he is pleased that the six-year-old event is being evaluated with an eye toward improving it, but he is concerned about the recommendation to include more national and international artists.

He said he understands the desire to bring broader attention to the city, and that widely renowned artists can help make that happen — as long as a balance is struck.

“You don't want to let the people with the big reputations take away from our own artists,” he said. “Our own artists actually are the idea of Luminaria.”

Laurie Dietrich, who has worked on the Luminaria steering committees for the past two years, has similar issues with the possibility of bringing in more outside artists.

“I am concerned that Luminaria will become one more stop on the festival tour for a group of high-profile, nonlocal artists, and that the involvement of local artists will be largely lip-service, resulting in a festival that looks much like every other arts festival in the country, and as such won't be a significant draw for serious arts tourism,” she wrote via email.

Liz Tullis, who is the treasurer for the event, said local artists always will play a big role in Luminaria. Bringing in national and international artists will help bring attention to the talent that's here, she said.

Marise McDermott, who is president and CEO of the Witte Museum and who served as director of Luminaria its first two years, attended a presentation on the plan. She was impressed with what she heard.

“The idea of growing Luminaria to be a longer event makes a lot of sense, given the amount of work the artists do,” McDermott said. “It's so fantastic to begin that growth.”

“We want to be the hub for arts and culture and activities,” Andujar said, “and, furthermore, Luminaria is an important partner of ours — it accomplishes many of the things we're after: the community using the park, activities in the area, improving our downtown.”

The plan is not a done deal. The board hopes to make a decision in the next few months about what parts of it will be implemented and how much it will bite off for 2014.

“I think we do need to make some decisions in the next few months because it takes time to plan these things,” Padrón said. “And this one is a little bit more ambitious so I think we do need the time.”